Improvement in street-cars



J. RIDGEWAY.

Street-Car Door.

' Patented Aug, 26, 1870.

Ivy 1 n r/VES SE5 3 was sent pawn htihiite.

Letters Patent No. 102,435, dated April 26, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN STREET-CARS.

The Schedule referred to these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

I, JACOB ELwooD RIDGWAY, of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State ,of Pennsylvania, have invented an improved Street-Car, of which the following is a specification.

Nature and Object of the Invention.

My invention consists of a street-car having at the rear two doors, arranged in the peculiar manner fully described hereafter, so as to afford ready access to the car from either side of the street.

My invention further consists of the combination of the said two doors at the rear of the car, with a conductors platform on the exterior of the same, and with an opening through which-the conductor can receive the fares from, orgive change to the passengers who have entered the car, as described hereafter.

The object of this part of the invention is to relieve the cond'nctorfrom the usual duty of traversing the interior of the car for the purpose of collecting fares, and to relieve passengers from the inconvenience arising from the constant moving to and fro of the conductor, and from the annoyance of searching for their fares after they are comfortably seated.

A further object of my invention is to render the locked boxes, used for placing the fares beyond the control of the conductor, more convenient for the passengers.

Description of. the Accompanying Drawing. Figure 1 is a side view of my improved street-car. Figure 2, a view of the rear end of the same. Figure 3, a plan view partly in section, and Figure 4 a diagram illustrating a modification of my invention.

General Description.

As regards the body and running-gear of my improved car, the latter is in most respects similar to ordinary street-cars; but, instead of the usual platform, I arrange at the rear an angularprojection or extension, A, and from this build up to the roof the inclined sides a and a, and rear b.

In each side a and a is a doorway, e, to which a suitable door, hinged to the rear 7) at x, is adapted, each door having a guard or shield, h, the latter, when the door is closed, covering a step, i, by which ready access to the interior of the car by the doorway is cfiected. v

At the extreme rear of the car is arranged a platform, D, sufficiently large to afford room for the con-' ductor only, who, 'when tired of standing, can' sit on the rail j. I i

This small platform is so arranged that the conductor can gain ready access to it from either side.

I In the rear end I) of the car is a small opening or window, in, so situated that passengers, on entering the car through either doorway, can conveniently hand their fares to and receive their change or tick-- ets from the conductor. 7

My improvements, however, are more especiallyin tended for use in connection with locked pay-boxes of I such a character that the fares are beyond the con-' trol of the conductor; as, for instance, the pay-box for which Letters Patent were gran ted to R. H. Long on the 6th day of April, 1869.

Such a box may be situated within the car immediately below the opening in, and may be so constructed with glass sides and top that the conductor may be aware of the accuracy of every fare deposited in the box by passengers.

The conductor, when such a box is used, should be furnished with small sealed envelopes, containing, either tickets or money, or both, amounting to dii erent sums which passengers are likely to present il they have not the exact amount of the fare or at-icket to deposit in the box, and one of these envelopes is handed to such passenger through the opening, so

that the passenger himself can take from the envelope the amount of the fare and deposit it in the box, all chances of peculation on the part of the conductorbeing thus prevented. p

The conductors place is on the platform D, and the doors should be provided with such appliances that he can control the opening and closing of the same.

It will be the conductous duty to see that each passenger, as he enters the car, shall pay his or her fare before being seated, and the simple duty of a passen ger will be to have his or her money or ti okct read y before or as he is entering the car, a duty which custom will readily induce passengers to adopt.

By my invention a conductor is released from the tedious duty of traversil'lg the interior of the car for the collection of fares, and the passengers are relieved from the inconvenience arising from the frequent passage to and fro of the conductor, and from the annoyance of searching pockets for fares after they are com fortably seated.

The arrangement of the two inclined doors for the entrance of passengers from either side of the street, and the platform at tho rear for the conductor only, presents the above advantages whether the conductor has the control of the fares or not.

In order to carry my invention fully into effect, it is best that the front platform G should be occupied by the driver only for which reason it is closed at the sides.

The rear A of the car, instead of being of the augnlar shape shown in ii. 3, may be rounded, as shown in fig. 4, but it will be readily understood that this is a. mere change of form, without any departure from the main features of my invention.

'3. The combination of the subject-matter of the second. claim with the opening m in the rear endb of the car.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB ELWOOD RIDGWAY.

Witnesses:

F. B. Browns, HARRY SMITH. 

